Caste census neither panacea nor solution for unemployment, inequality: Congress' Anand Sharma writes to Kharge

'Though caste is a reality of Indian society, Congress has never engaged in nor endorsed identity politics. That is detrimental to democracy in a society with a rich diversity of region, religion, caste and ethnicity,' he said.

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma has come out against Rahul Gandhi's strong pitch for Caste Census, saying it cannot be a panacea nor a solution for unemployment and prevailing inequalities, and going ahead with it would be "misconstrued as disrespecting" the legacy of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Sharma, who has been sulking over not being considered for Rajya Sabha though he was retained in Congress Working Committee, wrote to Kharge indicating that the Congress is veering towards identity politics, which it has never engaged in or endorsed. The departure from the historic position of the party is a matter of concern for many, he said.

In his three page letter, he did not mention Rahul, the main proponent and advertiser of party's social justice push with caste census as its epicentre, but said the articulation of party position should be "balanced and should eschew the radical posturing" of regional and caste-based organisations.

"Though caste is a reality of Indian society, Congress has never engaged in nor endorsed identity politics. That is detrimental to democracy in a society with a rich diversity of region, religion, caste and ethnicity," Sharma said, adding that national caste census has emerged as an important issue and has been endorsed by the I.N.D.I.A bloc.

He differed on this emphasising that Congress policy on social justice is different and said it is based on a "mature and informed understanding" of the complexities of Indian society.

"Departure from the historic position is a matter of concern for many Congressmen and women across the country. It calls for reflection. In my humble opinion, this will be misconstrued as disrespecting the legacy of Indira-ji and Rajiv-ji. Also by default, that will be an indictment of successive Congress governments and their work for empowerment of the disadvantaged sections. It also provides a handle to detractors and political opponents of the Congress," he said.

"In my considered view, a caste census cannot be a panacea nor a solution for unemployment and prevailing inequalities. A fundamental departure from time honoured policy on this critical and sensitive subject has major long-term national implications. As a party with an inclusive approach, the Congress should strive to reclaim its role as builder of national consensus and build a harmonious society," he said.

Calling for internal discussions, he said the party has always encouraged such debates, while insisting that participation of district and state Congress committees in consultative process would have helped in building a broad internal consensus to endorse the policy as is required in a democracy.

Recalling Indira's 'Na Jaat par, Na Paat par, Mohar Lagegi Haath Par' slogan, he said Congress has always worked for the poor and underprivileged and been sensitive to the cause.